Creating an engaging resource for an ethical small business loans provider

ClientPurple Shoots

ServicesVideo

Purple Shoots is a not-for-profit microfinance organisation, set up to tackle unemployment and economic problems. Purple Shoots offers small loans at fair rates to those who are unable to obtain support from elsewhere and develops business ideas and business skills to help people set up and grow their own small businesses.

The charity also sets us self-reliant groups in local communities to build skills, grow confidence, and develop business ideas.

You struck exactly the right balance between showing the facts about the good businesses which have been created and the emotions in the stories behind them. Through these videos, you have painted the right picture of what we do.

Karen Davies

CEO Purple Shoots

The problem

Purple Shoots knew that some people would not approach them for small business loans because they believed that they would be turned down – due to being unemployed, having poor credit history, or because of their personal circumstances. This put them off even making an enquiry.

Our solution

To encourage people with the potential to start a new venture that someone would believe in them we made three videos of business owners previously helped by Purple Shoots. Two of these start-up businesses had been declined loans from other lenders despite have viable business ideas. The third business we featured was started by someone who was long term unemployed. These videos would encourage people not to give up before they had even started. Purple Shoots now had three stories to reassure people that they were approachable and could help.

What we did

You might think that making videos for a finance provider would be dry and boring. But these stories were about people in desperate circumstances – people who showed courage, resilience, and hope. These stories resonate with audiences because they are true, authentic, and heart-warming.

Each video has a simple yet powerful structure. Each story starts with the adverse circumstances of the person – grief, poor credit history, long term illness, long term unemployment – and how Purple Shoots believed in them and their business ideas. The story moves from the problem, to meeting Purple Shoots, to the solution of how they were helped to grow their business.

What Purple Shoots said

We were so thrilled with the first video which Luminous Media did for us on our self-reliant groups, we asked them to make another one about our lending. They understand Purple Shoots well now and I left them to it. They produced three lovely videos – stand alones and also combined into one for our website homepage – telling the stories of three of our borrowers. They struck exactly the right balance between showing the facts about the good businesses which have been created and the emotions in the stories behind them. Through these videos, they have painted the right picture of what we do. They have also created a proper YouTube channel for us – setting it up, designing the page and adding all our videos to it, so now we have a channel which we are proud to direct people to.